


Trial

by mayawrites95 (mayarox95)



Series: A Light In The Darkness [5]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fix-It, Kylo Ren Redemption, Redemption, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Spoilers, Trials
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 04:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13092183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayarox95/pseuds/mayawrites95
Summary: Kylo Ren faces trial for his actions against the Galaxy and the Resistance





	Trial

**Author's Note:**

> Should be read in order, but can be read as a stand-alone

Ben stood, shackles around his wrists, in front of a council, awaiting his trial.

It had been a long night, and he would be lying if he said he had slept well. How could he, when he was up all night worrying about what would happen should he be found guilty. If they banished him to the Outer Rim, to some far off planet barely known by name. Or if he were to be sentenced to spend the rest of his days locked up for what he had done. Or worse, death for the ultimate betrayal.

Not that it was anything less than what he deserved. In fact, if he was locked up, he would claim it was what he deserved. After all, how many deaths of their officers did he cause? He had stood directly beside Snoke and gave the commands to execute half of them. He had shot down their vessels. When he was responsible for so much of their pain, how could they possibly forgive him? What he did was utterly inexcusable.

He deserved their punishment. Their words which would bind him a prisoner for the rest of his life. Just because of who his mother was didn’t mean he didn’t deserve to be imprisoned. In fact, it meant he deserved it even more.

“Ben Solo,” Grand Admiral Ackbar said, as the others took their seats. “You stand here today, to face trial for your crimes against the Resistance, and more importantly, the Galaxy.”

They were in a commanding, circular room, with the counsel of what he assumed to be the highest officers in the Resistance in front of him. There was Grand Admiral Ackbar, Commander Seastriker, Vice Admiral Holdo, and of course, his mother.

She looked tense, and was probably just as nervous as he was, if not more. He knew he deserved death, but she was probably hoping it wouldn’t come to that. As least not if she could help it.

It wasn’t as if they were alone. No, the entire resistance was present for this trial, wanting to see what happened to Kylo Ren, the name they feared so much, but also the son of the General of the Resistance.

He looked up at him, waiting for his charges to be laid out.

“You are accused of the deaths of the Jedi students you were training with. Of betrayal to the New Republic, and to joining Snoke in bringing destruction to the New Republic. To slaying your own father, and countless Resistance allies and officers. How do you plead?”

He looked up at them, and could see his mother giving him a soft reassuring smile.

He swallowed, “Guilty,” he said softly.

“You also have been claimed to have caused the deaths of Snoke and the Praetorian Guard. Is this true?”

“Yes,” he spoke again, and he could hear the Resistance members murmuring amongst themselves. Some were in disbelief. Others were in shock. And some straight up were cheering.

“The council calls the Jedi Rey, to give her account of what happened aboard _The Supremacy_ to lead to the fall of Snoke,” Holdo said.

Ben watched, as Rey stood from the chairs behind him, and made her way to the centre of the floor, near where Ben was standing.

“Rey, in your own words, can you explain to us the actions that led you to bringing Kylo Ren back onto our ship?”

“When I first met Ben, as Kylo Ren, a bond was forged between us,” Rey spoke loudly. “It was like I could feel what he was feeling, without having to try to sense it. It wasn’t like using the Force regularly, where if you reach out, you can sense their presence. I could sense him, without trying.”

She paused briefly, allowing them time to understand the Force Bond between him and Rey.

“When I was on Ahch-To, looking for Luke, I could feel Ben’s presence across the force. It was as if he would appear in front of me as clearly as if he were actually there. I could sense what he was feeling, touch him. I could sense the pain inside of him, the remorse over his father. The struggle to keep the light side out, to stay committed to the Dark. A struggle that’s been there for his entire life.”

“A darkness he eventually gave into,” Seastriker said, giving Ben a contemptuous look. “A Darkness that lead him to slaughter many.”

“A darkness he was driven to out of fear,” Rey argued. “He only truly turned to the Darkness after his Uncle tried to kill him.”

That brought loud shouts of protests, as Rey openly suggested Luke had tried to kill him.

“Explain,” Ackbar commanded.

“I asked Luke what happened that day; the day Ben fell to the Dark side. Luke had sensed the Darkness growing inside him for a while, and that night, he wanted to see how deep the darkness went. He was scared, of the fact that Snoke had been whispering in his ear for years at that point, and in a moment of weakness he had tried to kill Ben to protect them all. But he was ashamed. He had redeemed his own father, and he resolved to redeem Ben too. But before he could, Ben awoke to see his uncle standing over him, looking murderous as he held a lightsaber to him. Ben was scared, and so he ran.”

“Straight to Snoke,” Holdo commented.

“To the only person who ever made him feel like he wasn’t alone,” Rey countered.

“We’re not here for speculation,” Seastriker argued back.

“It’s not speculation if it’s the tale both of them have told me. It matched, even when told on two separate accounts. It was what happened. Maybe if Luke had been quicker to react, to put his lightsaber away, and tried to save his nephew none of this would have happened. Maybe if Ben had not reacted as quickly, had questioned his uncle, it wouldn’t have happened. That, is speculation. This is fact,” Rey argued against him, and Ben felt a source of pride for the girl.

“Tell us what happened on that ship,” Holdo said. “Why did you go to him?”

“Like I said,” Rey explained, “I could sense the struggle in him. So I went to him, to try and persuade him to come back with us.”

“What happened after?” Ackbar asked her curiously.

“He took me to Snoke instead. He hoped that if I was by his side it would put the end to the battle between Light and Dark inside of him,” Rey explained. “Snoke wanted me to bow before him. But I refused. I refused to tell him where Luke was. And he tried to force it out of me. He held me against my will, and the tried to command Ben to kill me. To put an end to his opposition, and to end the battle inside of him.”

The onlookers were listening engrossedly, needing to know what happened next. He almost wanted to roll his eyes at them. This was his trial, not a session of storytelling.

“I tried to use the force against him, against Snoke to save myself. But the saw it coming and blocked my attempts. I was helpless, dangling from thin air, in front of Ben, as Snoke demanded he crush me, kill me and put an end to me. But Ben didn’t do it. Instead, while Snoke was distracted, commanding him on how to kill me, he used the force secretly, and killed Snoke the same way he demanded Ben kill me. He saved me.”

The room had gone quiet then. There were a few cheers, before Seastriker quieted them down.

“And then he came back with you?” Seastriker said sceptically, “Just like that?”

“No,” Rey said and he wondered if this next part would be his damnation. At least if everything else he had done wasn’t already. “He wanted me to join him. To make the galaxy greater.”

“So he could rule it himself,” Seastriker asked, clearly thinking he had come to some sort of victory.

“It was an easier choice. Rule the galaxy with no accountability. Or do what he had wanted for months, years even. To come home to family, even though it could mean his death. To come home and make things right, even though he had caused so much pain. He could have made an easy choice, but instead, he took the harder road.”

“Or he wanted onto our base so he could slaughter us all,” Seastriker said.

“I believe that’s speculation,” Rey bit back, causing Ben nearly want to laugh at her fiery self.

“She has a point,” Ackbar said, looking at Seastriker. “Ben, why did you come back?”

“I was tired of being alone,” he answered honestly. “Snoke lured me by taking advantage of the fact that I never felt welcome as a kid. That I was always alone. And when I joined him, I was nothing more than a puppet. A means to an end. He punished me over every failure, every misstep. I was nothing more than a pawn to him, and I was tired of it. Tired of fighting between the Light and Dark. I wanted to come home.”

“You killed your father,” Seastriker reminded him.

“I did because I thought it would help me shut out the Light. I needed to shut out the light, to be assured that I had made the right choice,” Ben said quietly.

“Did it help?” his mother spoke for the first time, and he knew listening to his statement would break her heart.

“No,” he said, remorsefully, “It only made me doubt myself further.”

“But you didn’t come home then,” Ackbar reminded him. “Why not then? Why now?”

“I wasn’t sure I would be welcome,” he admitted, “I’m still not sure I’m welcome. But Rey reminded me that I had people who cared about me. That I should at least try, and face whatever punishment I get.”

“So you would accept whatever we decide?” Holdo asked him curiously. “Even death?”

“Yes,” he said instantly, and he could see his mother stiffen.

“I see,” Ackbar said. “You’ve given us a lot to think about. We will return with a decision.”

The four of them left the room, and Rey turned to him, taking his hands in her own.

“You’re doing good, Ben,” she assured him. “You spoke truthfully, and let them know why you did what you did.”

“I know,” he swallowed. “Rey, there’s a good chance I’ll be punished with death for my actions. And if I am, I want you to know-”

“You won’t be!” she said quickly, cutting him off. He could see the pain on her face at the thought.

“I could be,” he said again, “And if I am, I want to thank you, for everything. For being there for me. Every time I connected to you through our bonds, it was times I felt vulnerable. When I felt truly alone. And you made me feel less lonely.”

She sniffled softly, and he wanted to hug her. But they still had an audience and the last thing he needed was for any of them to cause a riot over him having feelings.

The council came back in then, and he felt his chest tighten. Whatever decision they came up with, he would need to accept it. No matter what decision they came to, he would accept it.

They sat down, and his mother wore a stoic expression. He knew it would fall to her to deliver the verdict, and he prayed, for her sake, that she wouldn’t have to be the one to deliver a death sentence to him. Not when he knew how much it would hurt her.

“Ben Solo, you have committed atrocious crimes against the Galaxy,” his mother’s voice rang out against the room. “Most of which are unforgiveable. You killed many of our fighters. Many of our ranks.”

He held his breath, waiting for her to give him the sentence.

“But you also brought down Snoke, the leader who had been terrorizing the galaxy. You defeated the Praetorian Guard. As such, you have severely crippled the First Order. You have left them vulnerable, with only Hux as a leader. And with your knowledge of the First Order, you are more valuable alive then dead. If, and only if, you help with bringing down the First Order, we will offer you a full pardon.”

He let out his breath, shocked as his mother delivered his verdict. He wasn’t free, not entirely. But it wasn’t as if he didn’t plan on helping them if given the chance.  

“We hope you use this second chance wisely,” Ackbar said, giving him a stern look. “Do not make us regret this, Ben Solo.”

“Thank you,” he said softly, and Rey threw her arms around him in excitement.

He was free. He would live, and have a chance to try and make things right for his actions.

And that was more than he thought he deserved.


End file.
